Rehda: Urban renewal needed to safeguard community well-being

KUALA LUMPUR: Urban renewal must be prioritised to protect public health and ensure the safety of communities, as many ageing strata properties are showing signs of severe deterioration, according to the Malaysian Real Estate and Housing Deve­lopers' Association (Rehda) Institute.
It said the issue was a key focus of the recent Inter­national Strata Symposium, held on April 8 and 9, in conjunction with Malaysia's chairmanship of Asean.
The event brought toge­ther experts from Singapore, Australia, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malay­sia to discuss legal reforms and redevelopment strategies for ageing strata developments.
Rehda Institute warned that inaction on urban renewal could accelerate property value decline and increase social and economic costs.
'Delaying intervention in areas expe­riencing urban decay risks worsening problems such as crime, economic stag­nation, inequality and further devaluation of pro­perties,' it said, Bernama reported.
The institute highlighted early warning signs in parts of Kuala Lumpur, especially in ageing flats suffering from poor main­tenance and a lack of reinvestment.
It also cautioned that without timely intervention, these neighbourhoods could devolve into urban slums and added that strategic, policy-led reforms are critical to preventing long-term social fragmentation and avoiding costly repairs in the future.
Regarding land rights concerns, Rehda Institute said that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and policymakers have pledged legal protections for indi­vi­dual property ownership.
'These legal safeguards will support transparent, community-driven urban ren­e­wal and reinforce property rights,' it said.

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